Mobile

River in southwestern Alabama, USA; length 64 km/40 mi. It is formed by the confluence of the Alabama and Tombigbee rivers north of Mobile, and flows into the Gulf of Mexico through Mobile Bay. It takes its name from the Mobile, or Mauvila, who lived along its banks when Europeans first arrived in the 1540s.

History The river has served as the final stage of an extensive cotton, lumber, and farm produce transporting system. The port of Mobile is at its mouth. Mobile Bay has a long commercial and strategic history. During the American Civil War (1861-65) it remained an active Confederate port, protected by Forts Gaines (on Dauphin Island) and Morgan (on Mobile Point) until 1864, when a Union fleet under David Farragut passed the forts and took control. Today the area at the southeast of the bay, around Gulf Shores, is a tourist centre.